Reuters-Thailand hopes to mend Myan

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Subject: Reuters-Thailand hopes to mend Myanmar ties 

Thailand hopes to mend Myanmar ties
06:03 a.m. Oct 11, 1999 Eastern
By Sutin Wannabovorn

BANGKOK, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Thailand on Monday said it hoped to patch up
differences with Myanmar over a recent hostage drama before a meeting of
Southeast Asian states next month.

Ties between the neighbours have soured since the takeover of Yangon's
embassy in Bangkok by five Myanmar student dissidents, with a furious
Myanmar government blaming lax Thai security.

The drama ended when the dissidents' demand of a helicopter to the border
was met in exchange for the release of 89 hostages.

Thai deputy foreign minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra said disagreements should
be resolved before the informal meeting next month in Manila of foreign
ministers of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

``I hope the differences on the way we approached the incident and the
border closure will end soonest,'' Sukhumbhand told reporters.

Yangon's military government sealed the 2,400 km (1,464 miles) border with
Thailand after the 24-hour siege ended on October 2.

Myanmar's state-controlled press and military spokesmen lashed Thailand for
its ``kid glove treatment'' of the heavily armed dissidents.

Myanmar has also revoked fishing licenses granted to Thai companies in its
waters, a move Thai officials said had hit the livelihood of thousands of
fishermen and cost the industry millions of dollars in losses.

THAILAND SAYS ATTACKERS NOT TERRORISTS

Yangon was most infuriated by repeated statements by Interior Minister Sanan
Kachornprasert that the embassy gunmen were not terrorists but ``students
fighting for democracy.''

Thailand provides sanctuary for dissident Myanmar students who fled a
Myanmar military crackdown on pro-democracy supporters in late 1988. It also
houses hundreds of thousands of Karen refugees, followers of the Karen
National Union (KNU) guerrilla group fighting for an autonomous Karen state
in eastern Myanmar.

On Monday, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said Myanmar might have been upset
by his interior minister's remarks.

``But instead of being angry over such remarks, Myanmar should appreciate
the Thai way of handling the incident which ended non-violently and saved
the lives of several nationalities (of hostages), including fellow Myanmar
(embassy staff),'' he added.

``The international community is praising us for resolving the hostages saga
peacefully,'' Chuan said.

Thailand had issued an arrest warrant for the five embassy gunmen on charges
of holding hostages and possession of war weapons, the prime minister added.

MYANMAR ALSO TO SUFFER FROM BORDER CLOSURE

Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said that Yangon's closing of the border
would also bring suffering to Myanmar.

Thai traders in Mae Sot and Mae Sai towns opposite Myanmar's Tachilek and
Myawaddi, key border trading posts, said that tonnes of Myanmar-bound goods
worth millions of dollars had been stranded in Thai towns by the border
closure.

Meanwhile rebel and official sources said despite the border closure,
Myanmar had not deployed troops at the border to attack anti-Myanmar rebel
camps believed to be sheltering the gunmen.

``The situation at the border is normal. There are no reports of the enemy's
(Myanmar) movements,'' Man Hsar, general secretary of the KNU told Reuters.